The New Sci-fi Archetype: Courier Girls

Odd synchronicity/confirmation bias as I read last night. I finished Zero History and read issue #1 of Image’s new comic Nonplayer. Both feature characters I hereby declare to be a sci-fi archetype: the aforementioned Courier Girl.

Examples, you ask? Fine.

Zero History: Fiona. London courier working for Bigend (kinda). Young, attractive, cool, streetsmart, competent. Motorcycles about town with ease in her deeply scratched yellow helmet. Rides an unremarkable Kawasaki.

Nonplayer: Dana. Not sure yet where she lives. A city. Future. Spends a lot of time playing an MMO. Young, attractive, cool, streetsmart, competent. Delivers tacos. (Note: this comic is gorgeous. Go and buy it.)

But where did all start? To my knowledge: Y.T. from Snow Crash. It all goes back to Y.T. (short for Yours Truly). Kourier in post-fall Los Angeles. Angrily independent, dangerous, smart, and did I say dangerous already? Deals with a mafioso, a hacker/swordfighter/Cosa Nostra pizza Deliverator, cops, creeps, and a very scary obsidian-knife-wielding Aleutian without batting an eye. She rides a smart-wheeled skateboard down the highway, magnetically harpooning herself to the cars for speed. She’s it, man. Do. Not. Mess.

After running into four of these characters, I think I can safely say we’ve got an archetype. Keep your eyes open for more — if you can catch up with one.